Today’s Scripture Reading (August 24,
2015): Leviticus 9
Fire. Life
just wouldn’t be what it is without it, and yet it has the capacity to scare us
like nothing else can. Historically, fire was essential to the development of
the human race. We used it to cook our meals, to keep us warm on a cold night
and to scare away predators that might want to attack while we were resting.
But we have also used it as an instrument of torture and execution. I am not
sure that I can think of a worse way to die than to be burned. And when fire
gets out of our control, it is very hard to stop. Over the summer months there
are usually a few “smoky days” – evidence that somewhere a fire is burning out
of control. Uncontrolled fire has a tendency of destroying the very things that
are precious to us.
From a
natural side, fire is simply part of the cycle of life. Old forests with dead
dry wood burn down, destroying what it is that is present inside of them. But
in the wake of the fire is this awesome potential for new growth – including plants
that would never have been able to grow in the old forest. It is this concept
that causes some fires to be just left to burn – to allow this natural cycle of
life to occur.
But
historically it has been the control of fire that has been of the utmost
importance. We needed fire, but we needed it on demand. And when the demand was
completed, we needed the fire to go out. To be honest, the idea of controlled
fire is something that we still struggle with even today. With all of our
advancements, the simple idea of controlling fire seems to be just outside of
our grasp.
The Bible also
uses fire in many ways. Some cling to the idea of “hell fire,” a description
that actually comes from Jesus description of hell as a place like the burning
garbage dumps that surrounded Jerusalem. The garbage burned continuously, and
the fire never went out. It is found in John’s description of the “Lake of fire”
or the “Lake of Burning Sulphur” described in Revelation, a place where John
says that Satan, the Beast, the False Prophet, Death and, interestingly, hell
are all to be cast at the end of time. This would seem to be their ultimate
destruction.
But maybe
fitting our own need and hate of fire, this fire in which we see punishment is
also seen as being an essential part of God. The Holy Spirit is sometimes
described to be a burning fire, taking away the impurities and leaving us as
God intended us to be. And in this passage, it is fire that proceeds from the
presence of God and burns the offering. God is the “all-consuming fire.” And
Leviticus tells us that when the fire of God fell on the offering and consumed
it, and the people were overjoyed and fell down and worshipped this God of the
fire. And maybe not just the God of fire, but the God of the controlled fire.
As hard as they might work to try and control this thing needed for life, God
seemed to have no problem. Even fire went out and did exactly what it was that
he asked it to do.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:
Leviticus 10
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